S.F. MS-13 gang members sentenced to life terms

COURTS

Published 4:00 am, Friday, December 2, 2011

Five members of the MS-13 gang in San Francisco's Mission District were sentenced to life in prison Thursday for a campaign of violence that included three 2008 murders.

The men were convicted of racketeering and conspiracy in August after a U.S. District Court trial that lasted more than four months. Prosecutors described them as leaders or soldiers of a heavily armed gang that controlled its territory, based at 20th and Mission streets, through fear and intimidation.

Sentencing has been delayed for a sixth man, Guillermo Herrera, who also faces a mandatory life term because of his involvement in one of the murders. None of the defendants will be eligible for parole, which has been abolished for federal prisoners.

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MS-13, or Mara Salvatrucha, was founded in Los Angeles in the 1980s by immigrants from El Salvador and has 8,000 to 10,000 members in the United States, according to the FBI. The heavily tattooed members are initiated by "jumping in," a beating they take from other members that lasts 13 seconds.

At least two dozen local MS-13 members have been convicted of, or pleaded guilty to, federal charges of taking part in homicides, assaults and drug trafficking by the gang between 2005 and 2009.

Some who pleaded guilty testified for the prosecution in exchange for reduced sentences. Defense lawyers challenged their credibility and claimed they had instigated many of the crimes.

Lopez was convicted of fatally shooting Ernad Joldic and Philip Ng in March 2008. Prosecutors said the victims were ordinary people who happened to be wearing a rival gang's color, red, in a neighborhood controlled by MS-13.

Cruz-Ramirez and Herrera were both convicted of the July 2008 murder of Armando Estrada, described by prosecution witnesses as a seller of fake documents who refused to pay "taxes" to MS-13 in its territory.

In separate cases, two MS-13 members were sentenced to 20 years in prison for the fatal stabbing of 14-year-old Ivan Miranda in the Excelsior district in July 2008. On Tuesday, Danilo Velasquez, an alleged gang leader, was convicted of racketeering and conspiracy charges in the slaying of Moises Frias, 21, who was mistaken for a rival gang member and shot to death outside the Daly City BART station in February 2009.

Another member, Luis Herrera, pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges related to Frias' slaying Nov. 9 under an agreement that recommends a 35-year sentence. Velasquez faces a possible life term.